Come and learn a wide range of wonderful dances, from 17th Century Jane Austen style dances to 21st Century
Ceilidh Dances, including American Contra Dance, English Barn Dance, Contra Waltzing and the Polka!
Beautiful flowing dances - the best of the old and the new. All danced to fabulous music from both sides of the Atlantic.

All dances will be walked through
first and called while you are dancing so that everyone will be able to join
in.

There is teaching throughout the evening. We will introduce beginners to
all the figures and the basic techniques. We will also be teaching spins, twirls, stepping, variations and how to add more style to your dancing.

Music

We will be using music from some of the top bands in the USA and the UK:

Contrazz

Token Women

Susan Kevra

The Moving Violations

The Committee Band

Vertical Expression

Wild Asparagus

and lots more...

We are interested in expanding the range of music that we use. The music needs to
provide phrasing that allows 8 steps at around 120 bpm, in groups of 8 (32 bars).
Please contact us if you have any suggestions.

Frequently Asked Questions
What Should I Wear?
Whatever you feel comfortable dancing in, there are no rules. Skirts and dresses can look
great when you are spinning, but trousers are fine too.
Make sure you have comfortable flat or low-heeled footwear that you can balance easily in and that
won't stick to the floor when you try to spin.
No stilettos please - they won't be comfortable and they might damage the dance-floor.

Do I Need To Come Every Week?
Hopefully you will enjoy it so much that you want to come back every week! But, no,
missing a week is not a problem. We will start each week with easy dances, and
teach the harder figures before we use them in a dance. You can start coming
any time you like and come as often or as little as you like.
We will try to make sure that whenever you come, no matter how much or how little
experience you have, you will always learn something new and have a great time.

Do I Need To Bring A Partner?
No, everyone asks everyone to dance, and during each dance you will dance with lots of
people. By the end of the evening you will probably have danced with everyone in the room!
At contra dances it is perfectly acceptable for ladies to ask men for a dance as well as men
asking ladies.
Most people at contra dances ask a different person for every dance and we will be
encouraging this. It is lots of fun, you meet lots of people, and you will learn more
quickly.
Couples usually dance together for the first one or two dances, and for the
last dance, but dance with lots of other partners in between.
During each dance you will get to swing with lots of different partners. It is very common
for people to ask, during the swing, or at any other convenient time, "Would you like the
next dance?".

Is There A Bar?
We will only be providing water. You are welcome to bring your own drinks with you, but
spinning and alcohol don't go well together!